Actors Singing Their Own OSTs: A Rising Trend in Boosting Drama and Film Popularity

The trend of actors singing their own OSTs is gaining attention as a key factor in the success of dramas and films. By performing the OSTs, actors who best understand their characters enhance the audience's immersion and drive the overall buzz around the project.

On October 2, Choo Young-woo released the OST 'Goodbye' for the tvN drama 'Gyeonwoo and Seonnyeo.' Choo, who plays Baek Gyeon-woo, a character destined to live with the fate of death, captures the character's loneliness and longing through the song. The OST received praise on online communities and social media, with comments like "It's a song that makes you overly immersed in Gyeonwoo," "Gyeonwoo's tears are in his voice," and "The OST makes you curious about the drama."

The drama itself is also showing stable initial success. 'Gyeonwoo and Seonnyeo' premiered with a 4.3% viewership rating (Nielsen Korea nationwide), surpassing the final episode rating of its predecessor 'Cheers to Sobriety' at 3.6%. Among tvN's target demographic of 20-49-year-old men and women, it recorded a nationwide high of 2.0%, ranking first across all channels, including terrestrial networks. This marks the highest rating for a tvN Monday-Tuesday drama premiere in 2025.

Ahn Hyo-seop, who stars as a voice artist in the Netflix animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' also participated in singing the OST. He plays Jin-woo, the leader of the boy group 'Lion Boys,' and performed the OST track 'Free.' Following its release, reactions included "It's definitely Jin-woo's voice," "He's an actor who sings well, making it even more captivating," and "I need to watch 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' to hear Ahn Hyo-seop's voice." 'Free' climbed the Spotify charts, gaining significant attention among international fans.

The success of the OST is also boosting the film's popularity. According to FlixPatrol, 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' maintained its position as the global number one in Netflix's film category with a viewing score of 841 points as of September 29.

There have been several instances where actors singing their own OSTs positively impacted the recognition and success of a project. A notable example is Byun Woo-seok, who played Ryu Seon-jae in the drama 'Run Away with Seon-jae' and released the OST 'Shower,' which received a hot response. 'Shower' topped music charts and entered the Billboard charts, while the drama ranked first in 130 countries on the global OTT platform Rakuten Viki.

Jo Jung-suk, the lead actor in the drama 'Hospital Playlist,' also contributed to its success with the OST 'Aloha,' which topped music charts immediately after release and surpassed 100 million streams, generating explosive reactions. Other examples include Kim Ah-joong's 'Maria' from the film '200 Pounds Beauty' and Shim Eun-kyung's 'If I Go to Los Angeles' from 'Miss Granny,' both of which were pivotal in their respective films' success.

Why does an actor's participation in an OST lead to success? Cultural critic Jung Deok-hyun explained to TenAsia, "When an actor releases an OST, viewers naturally recall the character and the work while listening to the song. This experience continuously creates touchpoints with the work, maintaining viewer interest over the long term and positively impacting its success."

When actors who deeply understand their characters and emotions sing the OST, it significantly enhances the work's immersion and drives its popularity and buzz. It is expected that more actors will participate in singing OSTs in the future.

Reporter Se-yoon Jung, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr